Japanese look at fingers as credit cards

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

TOKYO (AFP) — Taking the idea of a cashless society to a new level, a Japanese company said Monday it will try out a way to let customers pay simply by scanning their finger.

The system uses biometric technology to identify the veins on a person's finger, which can then serve as a credit card or ATM card.

Electronics maker Hitachi Ltd., which developed the technology with credit card maker JCB Co. Ltd., said the system was the ultimate in security.

"The growing use of credit cards is leading banking institutions to introduce reliable security based on biometrics to prevent fraud," Hitachi said in a statement.

Hitachi said it would launch an experiment in September involving 200 of its employees to see if it is commercially viable to introduce the...